Bomb in a Birdcage
by laloga
Summary: A Jedi is sent to protect the Duchess Satine; though both women have a history with the same man, they must learn to work together to defend themselves from the ubiquitous Death Watch. Sequel to "Old Wounds," but stands alone as well. Obi/Oc and hints of OC/OC.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: The events in this story take place just after Satine's story arc in the Clone Wars, so it is recommended that you view those before you read this, but not necessary. The same thing applies to my other SW fic, Old Wounds, though if you want to read (and review) that one, it will make me squeal like a little girl! This is my attempt to reconcile Kalinda, my OC from _Old Wounds_ and the Duchess. _

_The title is from a song by A Fine Frenzy. Sadly, I don't own anyone but Kali and Stonewall. Extra points if you get the Star Trek reference!_

**Bomb in a Birdcage**

_Prologue: _

Let me start by saying I don't know why I got so angry, I really don't. It frightens me, you know. I fancy that I have control of my emotions, that my love for Ben has little affect on how I go about my day to day life, yet now...I am not so sure. After the events on the planet Basrah it seemed that all was decided between us, that what needed to be said had been said and we were finally free to simply _be _together, as much as two Jedi can ever be together. For a few months I was happier than I'd been in a long time.

Then he left again, to return to the past, to Mandalore, and I felt myself breaking a little bit inside. Even as I write that, I feel scorn for the idea; I am not a winsome girl anymore, I am a woman grown and a Jedi Knight, those feelings should be set aside. Furthermore, whatever it is that Ben and I have is stronger than what he shared with her; I know this, but still.

Perhaps I am not as strong as I believe. Perhaps peace _is_ a lie.

No. That is a Sith teaching, and I will not follow that line of inquiry. The illusion, I suppose, is that no matter how hard some may try, no one is ever completely in control of their emotions-we all have good days and bad days, I think.

It started with a bad day.

The Duchess had been brought back to Coruscant to speak with the Senate, which did not go as she'd hoped, I suppose. Actually, I didn't pay her much attention, as I was rather busy with preparations of my own, until Anakin came to find me. Of course I was in the Archives, gathering materials for my upcoming educational plans for the Jedi relating to my new found shielding technique, when I heard Jocasta Nu's quiet footfalls as she ushered the young man over to me.

"Anakin," I said with a smile. "How's it going?"

He shrugged. "Pretty good, considering. You look better than when I saw you last."

It was his usual brusque manner which I'd always admired. "I'm trying to figure out the best way to teach the shield to the others," I said. "Do you think you'd want to learn?"

"Eh, I don't know if it'd do me much good," he replied as he took a seat beside me at the desk where I'd spread my work. He picked up a datapad and began absently thumbing it. "Actually, I'm here on a...personal matter."

"Oh?"

He inhaled deeply and looked at me, reminding me for a moment of the small boy that I'd met many years ago. "You've always been...present in my life, Kali. You and Obi-wan have, in some ways, been like a family to me. I know that the two of you have always been...close, and I just...want you to know something." He squirmed in his seat and refused to meet my gaze, uncharacteristically fumbling and uncertain.

"Anakin..."

"I mean, not that I'm presuming anything, or trying to make trouble, but I just think that you should be aware..."

I put a hand on his arm. "Spit it out, Anakin."

He sighed and nodded. "Duchess Satine is back in Coruscant."

"I know." The news had reached me last night, when her ship had docked and Obi-wan had returned to the Temple, more restrained than usual. We hadn't had a chance to speak properly. "And? Surely that's not what's making you so twitchy."

"I'm not being _twitchy," _he grumbled, picking up the datapad again and running his fingers along the edges as he spoke. "There was an...incident aboard the _Coronet_. Some things were said-Obi-wan doesn't know that I heard-and I just thought that you should be aware."

I leaned back in my seat, suddenly very aware of my heart thudding in my chest. "What kind of things?"

"I'm only telling you because, well, because if it were me, I'd want to know. And you've always been so….approachable." The poor boy looked stricken, but I could feel my impatience growing. Swallowing, I nodded and urged him to continue. "Anyway, a Senator named Tal Merrik took the Duchess hostage and threatened her life-naturally. And Obi-wan went to rescue her-again, business as usual. But-" He met my eyes at last. "After Merrik made it very clear that he was going to kill us all with a bomb, the Duchess said that she had always loved Obi-wan-"

My heart rate sped up and I felt my skin grow hot as he continued.

"-and he said that, if she'd asked him to, he'd've left the Order for her." We sat in silence for a moment before he looked at me. "I'm sorry, Kali. I just...like I said, I'd want to know if it were me."

It's not that I didn't know of her, of the time they spent together on Mandalore. He had talked about the mission, yes_, _but_ that _was one detail he conveniently left out of his description of the events to me. Not that I blame him, I suppose, considering how I acted in those days. In any case, I was able to keep it together long enough to thank Anakin and begin to collect my materials, my interest in my project suddenly lost.

"You've been like...a really great aunt," he said as he followed me out of the Archives. "I just...well, I like you more than her. I mean, she's remarkable, but-"

I sighed. "Anakin..."

"I know, I know," he replied. We exited the Archives and I decided to make my way to my quarters to put my things away. "Just thought you should know," he repeated.

"Well, thank you for telling me," I said again. "But I think you might be over-reacting." We reached the lift and he gave me a knowing look.

"I'm not a little boy anymore, Kali," he said as I stepped on. "And I know more than you might think."

I did not respond, only gave him a tight smile as the door closed. Later, as I tried to meditate my feelings away, I recalled the conversation that Obi-wan and I had had after he returned from his year-long sojourn on Mandalore. He had been quiet and uncharacteristically humble, a sure sign that the mission had affected him deeply, and had asked to speak with me in private. The memory was clear.

_Master Windu and I had just returned from a harrowing mission that had us leaping from system to system like Naboo swamp frogs, and all that I wanted to do was immerse myself in a hot bath for a few hours. However, Ben looked so stricken and I had sorely missed him, so we slipped off into the city together to one of our old haunts, a quiet cafe not too far from the Temple. After sipping on hot tea for a few minutes in silence, he finally met my eyes._

"_What happened?" I asked._

_He frowned and studied his tea for a few moments before he spoke. "It was a dangerous, difficult mission. We were on the run practically the entire time."_

"_I know," I replied. "Master Windu was concerned when we didn't hear from you for so long. I was, too."_

_His smile was tight. "Qui-gon was able to send a few messages here and there," he said. "But we were on our own, for the most part. Satine-the Duchess-was..." At this point he trailed off, his eyes taking on a distant look. I sipped my tea and tried not to think of how tired I was. "She was very brave, for someone who was clearly not used to being on the run, as we were. We lived off of the land, ate hand to mouth, and generally did not know if any of us would live to see the next sunrise."_

_I leaned forward, my tea forgotten. "I didn't know all that. I just heard that you were protecting this woman from the insurgents...Obi-wan, that's awful. I can't imagine an entire year of that life." Reaching out, I put my hand over his and met his eyes. "But you succeeded, right? She's safe and so are you and Qui-gon. You did your duty; that's all that matters." When he looked at me again, my stomach dropped, for I knew there was more. "What is it?"_

_He sighed. "Satine and I...we..."_

_My hand lifted; I felt my heart rate pick up, felt some unfamiliar emotion coil within my core. "What happened?"_

"_We were lovers."_

_We both sat in silence for a moment while I tried to sort through the tangled moray of feelings that had invaded my mind. Obi-wan watched me as if I were about to burst into flames. Finally I looked at him directly. "What happened, exactly?"_

_He shifted in his seat. "It was harrowing, as I said. We were thrown together on many occasions, and there was a stretch of two months where we became separated from Qui-gon. During that time we...we formed a bond."_

_I was silent; I had nothing to say. What could I say? He leaned forward and took my hand. "I care for her, Kali, but it was not serious, not in the end. When the danger was passed and she was safe, the feelings that I'd had for her fled. Master Qui-gon and I left Mandalore, and that's it." He studied me. "What are you thinking?"_

_It was a moment or two before I was able to speak. "What do you think?" He looked confused and I sighed. "I don't know, Obi-wan. I thought you and I...I thought that we were..." My eyes pricked and I turned from him, angry with myself for the tears that were threatening to fall. "I know we never talked about it like that, but I thought, you know."_

"_I don't know," he said, his voice quiet. "Tell me."_

_A deep, slow inhale brought me a semblance of calm as I regarded him. "I thought you loved me. Enough to stay faithful, even if you were in such a situation." I could feel the blasted tears coming again and suddenly found it difficult to breathe; I rose to get up from the booth, thinking only of fleeing. "I have to go."_

"_Kali." It was enough to stop me at the door, despite how much I wanted to run. He came to me, put his arm around my shoulders. "I missed you terribly, but I honestly thought we would never leave. The mission dragged on and on...and I was lonely. She was, too." We had somehow moved outside of the diner, to the shadowed alley beside it. He took my face in his hands. "But I came back. I made a commitment to the Order, and I keep my promises. You know that." He paused and frowned again._

"_What else?" I said, afraid to hear the answer. _

"_I think we should stop this." To illustrate, he removed his hands from my face and held them at his sides. "It's too much. I can't...if I learned anything on Mandalore it's that emotions and duty do not mix well. Master Qui-gon and I talked about it, and he thinks that-"_

_I gaped at him. "Obi-wan, I'm not asking to be married to you! I just...I thought that we had something else. What about before? You told me you loved me. You told me you would always love me. It's possible to love each other and do our duty-why can't you see that?"_

"_I can't do that," he replied, his face tightening. "I just can't be that cavalier about it. I'm sorry, Kalinda, I truly am." _

_Anger coursed through me, for all that I tried to quell it. My mouth opened but no words came out and my mind was a blank void. Finally I was able to speak. "You are a liar, Obi-wan Kenobi. I just hope you realize it." With that, I hurried back to the Temple, thoughts of a hot bath forgotten as I found the sparring master and begged a session off of him-anything to exhaust my body enough to prevent my mind from thinking. _


	2. Chapter 2

We didn't speak for two years, until after Qui-gon had passed and we were sent on a mission together, where we were able to reconcile, for a time. But it was the first of many times that we had done that strange dance, and the memory still cut into me. Yes, I was foolish and naïve, yes, I knew that as Jedi, the fact that we had formed an attachment to one another was technically forbidden, but the whole thing still felt like a betrayal. _He lied to me,_ I realized, thinking over what Anakin had said. _He lied about the extent of his involvement with that girl. _But I wasn't surprised. Obi-wan was not called "The Negotiator" because he was adept at angering those in delicate situations; still, it bothered me more than I could say to think that he had thought it necessary to do so with me.

Meditation was not cutting it, so I decided to do some drills. However, before I could do so, my comm beeped.

"Kalinda?"

"Master Kenobi."

"Would you please come to the Council chambers?"

"Be right there," I replied, keeping my sigh until after we had ended the communication. _This should be good._

_

* * *

_

It was worse than I'd imagined. Much worse.

Master Windu and Obi-wan were the only Council members present at the time, so I did my best to avoid Obi-wan's gaze as I stood in the center of the room, glancing at him only once, enough to see the shadows under his eyes. Keeping with his tradition of making me exceptionally uncomfortable, Master Windu steepled his fingers and regarded me thoughtfully before he spoke to me, a habit that still made me quell, despite my long-ago ascent to the level of Knight. Finally he spoke.

"What do you know of the situation on Mandalore?"

It was an effort to keep my thoughts calm. "I know that the ruler has proclaimed Mandalore to be a neutral system, but that there have been recent attempts on her life. But I thought that the affair was settled, more or less?"

Mace nodded. "True enough. But we feel that she still requires a measure of protection, which she has-begrudgingly-agreed to. Despite her objections, the Jedi have not forgotten the attempts on her life; the terrorist group known as Death watch is still at large and unaccounted for, therefore, you are ordered to accompany the Duchess back to Mandalore for the time being and ensure her safety."

If he had pulled out a blaster and shot me in the chest I could not have been more surprised. As it was, I'm fairly sure that my expression must have given my thoughts away, because Obi-wan spoke next-the one person that I truly did not want to hear.

"I know that it may not make sense to you," he began as I turned towards him. "But we feel that your talents as a Sentinel will come in handy here, as the Duchess does not wish your presence to be obtrusive." He gave me a look that I could not read, nor did I care to.

"Unobtrusive? I gather that means I am not to take any troops?" I said, looking back at Mace. _Stonewall will be disappointed._

He shook his head. "Not a full contingent, no. But you should take one or two to provide backup. They'll have to blend in, of course, as will you, but the Duchess is willing to provide proper attire." He leaned back in his chair. "She returns to Mandalore tomorrow morning and you will accompany her. Again, let me stress that you are to be as discreet as possible. She does not wish to be followed around, but has agreed to let you keep an eye on her-for the time being." With that, he gave me a nod of dismissal; never in my life have I fled the Council Chambers quite as fast.

As soon as I reached the hallway I contacted Stonewall, the clone trooper I'd formed a working relationship with on my last mission to Basrah; he'd saved my life and I'd made him my Captain, when and if I ever went on any type of mission. "Stonewall?"

"General Halcyon."

It was good to hear his voice, though I felt silly for thinking it, as all clones sounded and looked the same-naturally. In any case, I relayed the delightful news and instructed him to meet me at the Temple the next morning before we met with the Duchess' retinue as I made my way back to my quarters to prepare.

"Of course, General." There was a pause.

"You have something to add?" I stopped at the turbolift, curious to hear what he had to say.

"I...It will be good to work together, again. I was starting to wonder..."

Despite myself, I smiled. "I feel the same way. See you tomorrow." As I signaled the doors of the lift to close, a hand slipped between them at the last moment, stopping them from shutting. My heart tightened, but I did my best to keep my voice neutral. "Obi-wan."

"We need to talk." He entered the lift and we began to careen downward to the level where my quarters were located.

My arms folded in front of me and I stared straight ahead. "Oh?"

With a sudden exhale, he slammed his knuckle into the panel of the lift, causing it to stop suddenly, after which he attached his gaze to me. "Why do I get the feeling that you are shutting me out?"

"You are remarkably perceptive when you want to be."

"And you never cease to act like a sixteen year old."

"Whose idea was it?" I said suddenly, glaring at him. "Who made this ludicrous suggestion? I don't think even you would be that caustic." My fingers twitched to the silver ring on my right hand and I absently began to fidget with it.

He sighed and leaned against the wall of the lift, looking older than his years. "It...just came up. Satine was absolutely against the idea until Mace promised her that the Jedi would blend in and be unobtrusive. You are the only Sentinel who was on hand, hence..." His arm spread in a gesture that conveyed the logical progression that I was to presume.

Rebellion stirred in me and I raised my chin. "She didn't request you?"

A bitter laugh. "No. She did not." He stroked his beard thoughtfully as he watched me toy with the ring. "You're not still upset with me for what happened all those years ago, are you?"

Reaching forward, I tapped the panel and we began moving again. "I just don't like being thrust into this kind of...position," I said at last. "I'll do my duty, of course, but I just wish that Master Windu had decided to have me scrub the hangar bay with a toothbrush instead of...this."

Obi-wan stood beside me and we made the rest of the journey in silence until we reached my quarters. "You never answered my question, Kalinda." His tone was careful, hesitant. My door opened and I made to go inside, but he stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. "Kali?"

There was a great deal that I wanted to say, to ask, but I held my tongue. "I need to get ready," I replied, my sixteen-year-old attitude coming through in full force as I maneuvered out of his grasp. "Thank you for the explanation. Good night."

I shut the door in his face.

* * *

It was difficult to sleep that night. Eventually, I gave up altogether and spent the morning meditating in my room, trying not to think. As promised, Stonewall met me at the front entrance to the Jedi Temple, straightening his posture and saluting as I approached him later that morning. "At ease," I said with a laugh. While we made our way to the shuttle that would take us to the guest quarters where the Duchess was staying, I briefed the clone. "She's going to provide us with some Mandalorian garb so we don't stand out," I said after I'd relayed the rest. "Above all, _discretion _is key, Stone. We are to remain as unobtrusive as possible, which means no more saluting me or calling me 'General' or anything like that. 'Kalinda' or 'Kali' is fine. I think we can get by with calling you Stone as well, unless there's another name you'd like?"

He shook his head. "Can't think of one off the top. Stone'll do." He was not wearing his helmet and gave me a look. "With all due respect General-"

"Kalinda."

"Kalinda," he said. "My face is pretty well known throughout the galaxy...how is this whole 'unobtrusive' thing going to work, exactly?"

I frowned. "Hmmmm. Well, you could wear a Mandalorian helmet, I guess. Or we could give you a false nose and a wig-how do you feel about going blonde?-or we could do a bit of facial reconstruction." He paled and I chuckled.

"Your sense of humor again, General?"

"_Kalinda. _And yes, quite._"_

"Blast it! _Kalinda_." He looked at me intently. "Kali?"

A grin crept to my face, despite everything. "Yes, Stone?"

"You _were _joking about the wig, weren't you?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, Stonewall."

We arrived at the designated spot where the Duchess' cruiser was waiting. After my conversation with Obi-wan, I had spent the better part of the night checking every database that I could for information about Satine Kryze; however, for all of my research I learned surprisingly little about the woman. She had been born and raised, it seemed, to be a leader to the people of Mandalore, and had faced many obstacles during her tenure-not the least of which being her time spent on the run with an unnamed pair of Jedi. There were plenty of vids and pictures of her, so I knew what to expect in that department, anyway: stately, tall, elegant and blonde; pretty much the opposite of me in every way.

Little was said of her personality, though her actions showed her to be proud, arrogant, and utterly devoted to her ideals of pacifism. She did not seem like a woman easily swayed to anyone else's point of view, which made me wonder what exactly Master Windu had promised to get her to agree to my presence. As Stone and I departed our shuttle, I cast a glance around; the area looked clear and I sensed no hostile presence, so I focused my attention on the slender man who was coming to meet us.

"Greetings, Master Jedi," he said, giving a slight bow to me and nodding at Stone. "I am Theirry, the Duchess' steward. My lady Satine is expecting you; please, follow me." He lead us to the Duchess' quarters, lush and elegant as the rest of the Senate's visitor's area. My stomach twisted as we approached her room and I took several deep breaths to calm my growing agitation; out of the corner of my eye I noticed Stonewall glancing at me with curiosity, but I ignored him. All of my focus was on the figure whose back was turned to us as she spoke to a man who, I guessed by the style of clothing he wore, was a security officer of some kind. Theirry stopped before her and announced my name.

Her face was exactly as I'd seen in the holovids, but all I could think of was Obi-wan, and I was grateful that she could not sense my emotions as I could hers, which, at the moment were tense and not a little annoyed. She came over to us, hands clasped before her. "Greetings, Jedi Halcyon," she said, her voice richer than I'd imagined, though there was no warmth to her tone. "It's a pleasure to meet you, though I wish it were under happier circumstances." She gestured to the man with whom she'd been conferring. "This is my Security Chief, Odo_**.**__" _Like most Mandalorians, the Duchess included, he was tall and slender, with a head of nearly white-blonde hair that he kept neatly braided.

I nodded to the man, who looked at me as though I were something that he had stepped in on the street. "We were assured that you were not bringing any soldiers," he said by way of greeting.

"My instructions were to bring one trooper to assist me in the task of protecting the Duchess," I replied, my voice even. "This troop is one of my trusted associates and is under my orders. I assumed that you were aware of the arrangement."

Odo shook his head. "We agreed to _one _Jedi, undercover-which you are not, I see."

Despite the hostility that was radiating from the Mandalorians, it was my job to keep the peace, but I could not resist the thought of trying to get out of the thing altogether. I turned to the Duchess. "Madame, I have my orders if you or any member of your staff would like to verify them. I was under the impression that time was not something you had in abundance; however, if you'd like me to leave, I shall do so. I'm certain that Master Windu would be happy to negotiate these terms further." _Have fun with that, Mace._

Satine frowned and made a small motion of dismissal, waiting until Theirry, Odo and her guards had left the room before she spoke to me. "It is no secret that I have little desire to be trailed by any member of your Order at the present time, but it is also true that there are too many questions that have yet to be answered. Truthfully, I do not think that Master Windu would make any more concessions in this matter, though Odo was not pleased with the resolution."

My hands folded before me. "Then we should not delay further. I was told that you would provide proper attire for myself and my troop?"

"Yes," she replied, nodding to two sets of clothing that were hanging in the door to the bedchamber. "The Council gave us your size. Hopefully you will find them satisfactory, with a more extensive wardrobe once we return home. I shall be ready to go as soon as you are both dressed."

Stonewall retrieved our garments and there was a brief moment of confusion (mine), as to where we could change, but Satine directed me to her bedroom and Stone to the servant's room just beyond. The garment was a bit decorative for my taste, but at least it was in an attractive amethyst tone that was a welcome change from the prevalent neutral colors that the Jedi favored; in typical Mandalorian fashion the outfit consisted of black leggings, tall boots and an embroidered, amethyst colored tunic that hit my knees with a belted waist, my lightsaber hidden beneath the folds. When I emerged, the Duchess was holding a cup of tea and looking out the window to the impressive skyline; as she heard me enter the room, she turned.

"Everything is to your liking?"

I nodded. "Very much, thank you. Duchess, have you given any thought to the official role that Stone and myself will be playing while we are in Sundari?"

"I was told that you are an adept musician," she replied. "Perhaps something along those lines."

"My thoughts exactly," I said. "I brought my dulcimer and a few simple instruments...Of course, Stone hasn't had the same training as I have, but he's learning." As if on cue my trooper emerged, looking entirely uncomfortable in his disguise: a hooded, dark-blue robe that fell over a tunic and pants of a similar, though lighter hue. There was no armor to speak of, though I noticed he'd kept his belt. "How is it, Stone?"

He pulled the hood over his face and regarded me, and I could feel his discomfort with the unfamiliar garb. "It's a bit...flowy, General."

"Kalinda," I corrected. "For the love of all that is holy, Stone, _Kalinda. _Or Kali, or 'you there', whatever you like...anything but 'General.'"

"Right...Kali," he said with a wince. "Sorry."

"We'll work out the details of our story on the way," I said, turning back to the Duchess. "Perhaps I can be a hired entertainer or something..." My voice trailed off at her expression. She looked, well, to put it bluntly, _dumbstruck; _her eyes were fixed on me as if I'd sprouted a second head and it took all of my control to meet her gaze with calm assurance. "Duchess? Will that work?"

She blinked once, then seemed to come out of whatever had caught her attention so raptly. "Yes. Yes, we'll discuss it on the journey. Now, if you will excuse me, I must attend to a private matter. Thierry will show you to the ship." With a push of a button on her comm, she called her steward, who ushered us out of the room and back to the landing pad where we were to wait. He seemed ambivalent about leaving us alone until I assured him that we were more than capable of waiting without causing any trouble.

As the steward left us, Stonewall turned to me, his face shadowed by the cloak. "Was it just me, or are they not pleased to have us along?"

I gave a deep sigh. "No, you're right. But I at least thought that the Duchess was amenable to our presence...at least she was until..." I trailed off, my mind going back to our conversation.

"Kalinda? What is it?"

"My name," I whispered. "You said my name...my nickname."

He shifted uncomfortably. "Is this another joke? You told me-"

"No, I know," I said as I shook my head. _Now it makes sense! Obi-wan must have mentioned me only by my nickname; she must not have put it together until Stone called me 'Kali' in front of her. _Fantastic. I had hoped that our "shared" history would not come up, but it seemed that was not a possibility any more-if indeed it ever was. "I don't think the Mandalorians are too pleased that the Republic is involved with any part of their business, Stone," I said, looking back at him. "Just grin and bear it, okay?"

"Affirmative...Kali," he said with a grin.

Laughing, I shook my head. "I think I've created a monster."


	3. Chapter 3

Soon enough we were on our way to Mandalore; Stone and I spent most of the journey in my quarters, hashing out the specifics of our story. Eventually we decided that I should be a traveling musician on loan from Corellia-as I could pull of the accent fairly well-with Stone acting as my apprentice, which would account (I hoped) for his lack of musical talent, though I promised to give him a crash course as soon as possible once we had worked out all of the details; I knew that I had to report to the Duchess and inform her of our plan, a task that I did not relish. Stonewall remained behind while I went to speak with the Duchess who was safely ensconced in her own quarters, guarded by two of her personal troops. Moments after I gave my name the door hissed open and I was ushered inside. Once the doors closed behind me it was just the two of us.

She did not speak for a moment, so I decided to start. "Duchess," I began. "Stonewall and I have worked out a set of identities and backgrounds that I think will be plausible. May I run them by you?"

"Certainly, Master Jedi." After I'd told her what we came up with she nodded. "Yes, that should suffice. This kind of thing is rather common among our society, so I do not think that your appearance will cause too many tongues to wag."

We stood in silence for a moment before I decided that it was appropriate to leave. Bowing, I turned to go, but she stepped forward and put a hand on my arm. "Duchess?"

Her face tightened. "Satine, please. After all, it seems that we have a mutual acquaintance, does it not?"

"So I understand," I replied. "For what it's worth, I've only heard good things about you, Satine," I added, my tone carefully neutral.

"And I, you," she said with a nod, though I could feel her discomfort, exceeded only by my own.

My fingers toyed absently with my ring, though I could hear Mace's voice in my memory telling me not to fidget. "Hopefully things will calm down soon," I said. "And we can all return to normal, or whatever passes for normal these days."

"Indeed," she said, turning away from me. "Thank you for your information, Kalinda."

The moment I stepped outside the room I exhaled deeply before making my way back to my quarters. _I have a bad feeling about this._

_

* * *

_

We arrived in the capitol city the following day and were immediately taken to the sweeping palace and installed in a very comfortable guest suite; though the nature of my mission was unpleasant, at least I wasn't resigned to crawling around in the dust as I had been on the previous mission. Stone made a similar comment as we deposited our belongings.

"Pretty nice place," he said as he looked around. "But I don't like all the potentials."

"Potentials?"

He nodded and gestured to the velvet curtains that fell from the ceiling to brush the floor. "Just lingo for 'potential hiding places,' where an enemy could spring an ambush."

"Well," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. "You worry about that while I worry about the Duchess. Fair enough?" As if on queue, a chiming sound came from the comm unit by the door. "Yes?"

"The Duchess requests your presence, Madame Kalinda," Thierry's voice was crisp, as though he took pleasure in not having to refer to me by the honorific of "Master Jedi" any longer. "She asks that you be prepared to entertain her grace and a few of her guests while they enjoy afternoon tea in her salon. Do you know where it is?"

"We do. Thanks, Thierry," I replied, slipping into my Corellian accent. After shutting off the comm I glanced at Stone. "Looks like it's showtime. You know what to do?"

He stood at attention, every bit the soldier despite his informal attire. "I do, though I'm not sure how convincing I'll be as an apprentice troubadour."

"You'll be great," I replied, handing him my dulcimer and the _tabla_, a small, hand-held drum that was to be his instrument. "You have a natural rhythm, Stone. Just follow my lead, okay? And for goodness sake, _relax!_ Or at least _look _like you're relaxed...we don't need to draw attention to ourselves any more than necessary-just play our roles as hired entertainment." We exited the room and made our way to the Duchess' salon, located not terribly far from the guest quarters. I sensed a particular emotion from Stone and shot him a grin. "I know what you're thinking, but sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight." His mouth opened as if to object, but then he sighed and shook his head, his mouth quirking into a smile.

When we reached the salon we were ushered by one of Satine's staff to two chairs that had been set up off to the side; however, before we could sit the Duchess stood up and spread her arms in a gesture of welcoming. "Ah. The entertainment. Everyone, please welcome Madame Kalinda from Corellia and her apprentice; Senator Fordox assures me that they are most skilled."

I gave a bow. "Thank you, Duchess. We look forward to playing for you, though I ask that you not judge my apprentice too harshly-he has only recently taken up the _tabla, _as his former instrument of choice, the pipe-organ, is a bit unwieldy for space travel." That comment elicited a murmur of laughter as Stone and I settled into our chairs and I began to play a gentle melody to allow him to follow me; I was again thankful that I'd pushed him to study some basic music theory during the brief times we'd seen each other after Basrah-he'd shown an aptitude for music then and I had taken it upon myself to try to teach him some basics, much to his bewilderment.

After a few moments of listening politely, the group began to chat amongst themselves as servants entered with trays of tea and food. From what I could make out, the guests varied from heads of state, visitors from other systems, and other notable Mandalorians, all of whom seemed quite pleased to see Satine alive and whole; I sensed no undercurrent of negative feeling about her return from anyone in the group. When it looked like they were finishing, I decided to play another melody, this time adding some light vocals to change things up a bit. Stonewall faltered for a moment but was able to keep a simple rhythm along with me to add to the ambiance. Overall, I was quite pleased with the effect, glancing at Stone to give him a nod of encouragement only to see that he was watching me intently.

Soon enough the session was over and the guests departed, each taking the time to compliment Stone and me the music; one of the lesser nobles even tried to tip us, which Stone turned down with tact before Thierry ushered the lot of them out. As I collected my dulcimer, Satine approached me.

"Master Jedi, I wonder if I could speak with you for a moment," she said, her voice quiet.

"Certainly, Satine," I replied, nodding to Stonewall to take the instruments. "Though you really should just call me 'Kalinda' if we're going to keep this up. Besides, I'm no Master."

She lead me through the palace to a stretch of lush gardens situated in the city itself. "How extraordinary," I said as we walked through a section of blossoming pink flowers that I did not recognize. "I've never seen such an...open royal palace as this. In my experience, nobility like to keep themselves apart from everyone else."

For the first time since we'd been near each other she smiled. "Everyone is equal on Mandalore; all citizens are welcome at the palace. As long as I am in a position to, I will ensure that it remains so." She stopped suddenly before a statue of a woman who was dressed similar to her. "Mast...Kalinda, I am at a loss," she said, her words rushed. "There is much that I'd like to speak to you about, but..."

"You don't really want to hear the answers?" I finished. "I feel the same way. You should know that I didn't ask for this mission," I added, putting my hand around one of the flowers-more to give myself something to do than admire the foliage. "Neither did Obi-wan ask for me to come. We have my old Master to thank for that." It was the first time that either of us had spoken of him and I felt her wince inwardly at the name.

"Mace Windu was your Master?" she asked, putting her arms behind her back.

I nodded and inhaled the flower's heady scent. "For a number of years. He replaced my first master, who was killed on Echothalia while I was merely crippled." As I explained the scar on my knee that still bothered me from time to time, memories of Jonas flooded my mind. "Do you know of the terrorist, Non?"

She shuddered visibly. "Unfortunately I do. Though he never came to our system, I remember everyone being frightened that he would. Mindless violence; I do not understand it."

"He was not a mindless killer," I replied. "He was actually incredibly intelligent and thoughtful-twisted and cruel, yes-but certainly not mindless." Overhead a trio of dragonflies buzzed, flashing jewel-like in the sun.

"Perhaps so," she replied. "I never met the man."

We stood in silence for a time, each reluctant to break that final barrier and move the conversation to its logical conclusion; I was certainly in no hurry to discuss Obi-wan with her. Luckily, we were prevented from having to travel down that line of inquiry as my comm beeped. Excusing myself, I turned away to speak to Stone.

"What's up?"

"Are you with the Duchess, Kalinda?"

"Yes, why?"

There was a beat before he answered. "I...I need to practice the drum, but I don't want to shirk my duty."

I shot an amused glance at Satine, who did not seem to share my sentiment. "It's fine, Stone. I'm here; I'll let you know if we need you. Oh, I have a metronome in my pack-you should make it your new best friend."

"I'll do that, Kalinda. Er...thank you."

With a sigh I shut off my comm. "Sorry about that," I said as I turned back to her. "Autonomy is difficult for them, but it is a necessary skill to learn if he's going to do something besides fire a blaster cannon."

Satine nodded, though I could sense her disquiet. Among the Jedi, it is considered impolite to let others know that you can sense their emotions, but I've often wished I could just say so; sometimes I felt almost voyeuristic being privy to people's minds. She tilted her head, indicating a particular garden path that lead towards a series of elaborate topiaries, and we started to walk.

"I have never seen a clone act independently, as he does," she said after a moment. "It is a bit unsettling, I must admit, to have one so close."

My brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

She looked at me. "He was created to kill, to destroy. It is deplorable that the Republic saw fit to create such an army."

"Should the Senate have instituted the draft, like in the old days?" I countered as we passed a series of geometric topiaries. "I can guess how that would have gone."

"Of course not," she replied, her earrings swaying as she shook her head. "It should never have come to the point where an army was needed." She gave a bitter laugh. "But I know better than to debate wartime theories with a Jedi."

We paused at a large, rounded pond with a fountain of water rising from its center; all around us, the citizens of Mandalore meandered, glancing at Satine every now and then with expressions that varied from curious to enamored. _She is well loved among them, _I thought. _That much is true._ The sound of the water was pleasant enough, but I found myself studying the people around us, sifting through their emotions for any hostile intent. When I was satisfied that we were not in any immediate danger, I turned to respond to the Duchess, but she was shaking her head at me. "You see? Even now, when there is no reason for caution you are wary. You live in the shadow of war and it affects you profoundly, but the Jedi refuse to try any other way. They turn their backs on their vows as it suits the political mood."

Deciding to let the second half of her words go I shook my head. "I would not be so cavalier with your safety, Duchess, for I have sworn a vow to protect when I can and defend when I must. You are free to be as flippant as you like, but I will do my duty regardless." The sun was warm on my back and bright enough that it caused me to squint as I looked up at her. "As for the clones, I once thought as you did, that they were mindless killing machines. But they are beings of flesh and blood, as we are, and they are fighting and dying for our sakes by the thousands; you owe them your respect." I thought of Stonewall and his brothers, eager for battle, for the only thing that they had ever known, and my indignation faded to sorrow. "They did not ask for their existence nor did they start the war, but they are responsible for winning it for all of us."

Her gaze was inscrutable, though I sensed hesitation in her mind. Disbelief. "Your clone seems to have found something to do besides fight."

At this I chuckled. "Indeed. He's a strange one, I'm told. Truthfully, I haven't spent nearly as much time with them as other Jedi have, but if they all are capable of as much as Stone..." I trailed off as a trace of anger flickered in the edges of my awareness; it only took me a moment to determine its origin, a cluster of trees about thirty meters to our left. There was a definite hostile edge to the feeling and I could tell that it was directed at Satine, though it soon faded until it had vanished. When I glanced back at the Duchess, she was frowning.

"That's incredibly unsettling, you know."

Shrugging, I motioned for her to follow me back to the palace, as this place had given me a feeling of unease. "So I've heard," I replied as we walked. "But people usually change their tune once their lives are saved by a Jedi's 'unsettling' behavior."


	4. Chapter 4

When we arrived back at the palace Satine excused herself to prepare for a meeting with some of her advisers and I decided to collect Stone and go on reconnaissance, as neither of us had been given much time to study the layout of the palace and I was assured by the presence of her personal guard. Stonewall was in our suite, seated on the edge of one of the dining chairs at the small table in the eating area and examining my dulcimer with interest. When he heard the door open he looked at me with a somewhat hangdog expression.

"I'm sorry, Gen-Kalinda," he said, setting the instrument back in its case. "I was just curious."

"No need to apologize for your curiosity, Stone," I replied, joining him at the table. "Do you want to learn a few chords?"

He shook his head. "Not now, if you don't mind. I want to get a grasp of those drums first."

Nodding, I reached for my dulcimer, ensuring that the case was closed properly before I stood. "In that case grab your drum," I said. "We're going to have a lesson-make ourselves visible for a little while."

Drum in hand, he followed me out the door. "Hiding in plain sight again?"

I tapped my nose. "Exactly."

Soon we had journeyed to the main throne room of the palace, where I figured the acoustics would be better; also, it was centrally located, giving us plenty of room to keep an eye out for danger. One of the ubiquitous servants was kind enough to find us a few chairs, as I did not fancy sitting at the steps of Satine's throne, and I began to work with Stonewall on some of the songs that I was hoping to play this evening.

"Good, good," I encouraged as his strikes on the _tabla_ became more evenly spaced and rhythmic. "Don't think so hard about it, just do it."

In response, he relaxed a bit and the result was immediate-we had a splendid rhythm going for almost a minute before he fumbled on a downstroke and stopped with a mild curse under his breath. "I'm sorry, Kalinda," he said with a glance at me. "I lost it."

Trying not to smile I patted his arm. "It happens." Suddenly, I felt the presence of another in the room. "Hello, Theirry," I said as I turned to the steward. "What can we do for you?"

He cleared his throat. "The Duchess requests your presence at dinner, Madame Kalinda," he said without meeting my eyes. "It will be in one hour. Is that enough time to make yourself ready?" His eyes flicked to my clothing as though I were dressed in a thick coating of mud.

_You probably picked these clothes out yourself, you insufferable fool,_ I thought as I smiled at him. _All of a sudden they are not acceptable? _I felt Stonewall tense beside me as I nodded. "Certainly, Thierry. Tell the Duchess that we're looking forward to it." The steward gave a miniscule bow before he exited the room; once he had left I glanced at Stonewall, my eyebrow raised. He shrugged, but made no comment until we had returned to the suite to 'make ourselves ready.'

* * *

Mandalorians are a people devoted to rules of propriety and civility, so it was expected that we appear at dinner attired in some of the finer clothes that had been provided. Of course, it had been _years_ since I had to make myself presentable in a way that extended beyond ensuring that my hair was combed and my boots were polished, and poor Stone had never had to deal with the issue, so it was an interesting hour, to say the least.

"No, the green tunic looks nicer than the brown one, especially with the gray cloak," I said as he emerged from his quarters. "And you should make sure that your belt is the same color as your shoes-details always matter." I was busy trying to fashion my hair into some semblance of the elaborate, braided style that was the fashion on Mandalore before I got dressed.

Stonewall nodded and returned to his room, coming out in the appropriate tunic a few minutes later with a cross look on his face. "I miss my armor," he said as he glanced at his reflection. "How do people move with all of this...fabric?" He actually looked rather dashing in the outfit, but I kept that observation to myself as I had my own problems.

Feeling my growing frustration at my unwieldy hair, I decided to let it hang loose and be done with it before I chopped the lot of it off with my saber. "Think of it as a challenge," I replied as I shut the door to my room to change into the dress I'd picked out. "You thrive on challenges, right?" It was actually the only dress that had been provided, and I had to admit, it was attractive: it hit me just above my ankles with a full skirt and a fitted waist; the sleeves and neckline were demure enough to ensure that I was not "on display" as was the fashion with some systems; the fabric was an unfamiliar but soft cotton blend that had been dyed a deep wine-red. Unfortunately, there was no place to stow my lightsaber, so I resolved to ask Stone to hold on to it. Overall, I was satisfied that my appearance would not cause the nobility of Mandalore any undue stress, except for one thing...

"I need your help," I said as I entered the common area, my hands fumbling behind my back. Stonewall had been pacing by the door and came over to me immediately, a curious expression on his face as I turned my back to him and pointed behind me at the recalcitrant zipper. "It's stuck and I can't see or feel it. And don't say 'use the Force' because I've tried already." Wordlessly he approached me and began to tug on the bit of metal at my back. "I'll never understand why they don't put those things on the sides of garments rather than the back," I mused as he worked. "It's unnecessarily complicated if you ask me."

"It's also pretty stuck," he said. "Hold on..." Suddenly, his fingers brushed the skin of my back and I felt a flicker of a particular emotion from him, something that I did not expect and was certainly not prepared for. I cleared my throat, but in the next moment I felt the stubborn thing release as he slid it up. "Got it," he said as he stepped back.

_What is the matter with me? __How did I not see this coming? _I thought as I thanked him. After I had entrusted my saber to him we gathered our instruments and made our way to the dining hall where the Duchess was waiting. _I must be more careful with him, _I thought while we walked in silence. _The last thing I need right now is _another _tangled emotional mess in my life-though it never even occurred to me that this could happen with a clone. _Despite our wardrobe malfunctions we made it to the dining hall before any of the guests had arrived, taking our places at the chairs that had been provided for us. At my signal we struck up a pleasant melody just as the Duchess and her guests entered the room and sat down to their meal.

The dinner continued more or less in the same fashion as the tea session that had taken place earlier in the day, though it seemed to last quite a bit longer. The conversation among the Mandalorian gentry was placid and cordial, so I cast my awareness out as far as I could to make sure that all was well. Suddenly, I felt a similar emotion to the anger that I'd sensed earlier, though it was much more pronounced this time, coming from somewhere in the opposite wing of the palace.

"Stone," I whispered, keeping a smile on my face so not to alarm the Duchess' guests. "I need you to check out the east wing of the palace. There's a disturbance in the Force."

"Right away, Kali," he replied with a nod before he set his drum down in the chair and slipped out of the room. Luckily, only Satine seemed to notice his absence, giving me the slightest raise of her brow in inquiry. I tried to send a look that conveyed "nothing to worry about at the moment," but I'm not certain that I was successful, for her she did not look reassured. In any case, I was able to hold the attention of the dinner-goers until the meal ended, more abruptly than usual, I think, for everyone seemed surprised when the Duchess suddenly dismissed them. Once one of the servants had showed them out she stepped over to me, her full skirts rustling as she moved.

"What is it?" she asked. "Your clone looked alarmed."

I stowed the dulcimer back in its case as I shook my head. "Is there somewhere safe to speak?"

Nodding, she led me to her office, shutting the door behind us before speaking. "What do you sense?"

_Now who's on edge? _I thought. "I'm not certain, but I don't like it," I replied. "It's definitely a hostile intent, though I can't place it to a specific person, much less a member of the Death Watch. Hopefully Stonewall will be able to tell me-" My comm beeped then and I raised my wrist to my mouth. "What's the word?"

His voice was uneasy. "Nothing definitive, Kalinda, but I did see that steward fellow skulking around our room."

Theirry hadn't been at dinner, which I recalled now. "Skulking?"

"Yes. He...well, you know how you're always telling me to follow my instincts? He had the look of someone who was up to no good."

"Preposterous," Satine said with a glare at my comm. "Theirry is trustworthy beyond a doubt."

I bit back a sigh. "Was anything in our quarters disturbed?"

"Negative."

"Keep up your search," I said. "Let me know if you come across anything else unusual."

"Will do."

Satine shook her head and began to pace around her study. "I knew this would happen," she fumed. "Once a crack appears in the dam, it is only a matter of time before the entire land is flooded. Your warmongering trooper is so devoted to death and fighting, he is determined to turn the mundane into something to fight over." She turned the full force of her anger to me, her blue eyes fierce and her cheeks flushed. "I _tried_ to be amenable to the Jedi; I tried to compromise, despite my misgivings, and allow you to come to my home only to accuse my most loyal subjects of treachery? Insufferable!"

"Warmongering?" I replied, my mouth falling open. "How can you say that? If someone fires a blaster and kills another, do you blame the weapon or the person who fired it? And for that matter, all that the Jedi have wanted to do for you is _help _you, protect you, as is our duty, and you act is if we are holding a lightsaber to your throat and demanding that you to let the Republic march on your world."

She stalked over to me, remarkably savage-looking for someone who preached pacifism. "The Jedi long ago relinquished any hope of staying true to their ideals, Kalinda. It frustrates me more than I can say to see that the supposed keepers of peace in the galaxy have become little more than pawns of the Senate and this pointless war."

"We are trying to stop it," I countered. "We do everything we can...people are out there right now, dying for our freedom, for yours and mine and every one of your citizens, whether or not you care to acknowledge it. Some things are not as black and white as you would like to believe, Duchess."

"And some things are worth protecting, despite all adversity," she replied with a glare. "You speak of duty and sacrifice, but you are the same as...as the others. Blameless to a fault, and I fear it will be the doom of us all."

Something in her words snapped me out of my anger and I regarded her for a moment, letting the heated emotions pass through me. Finally I spoke, careful to keep my voice quiet. "You're not really angry with the Jedi, are you? This isn't even about the war."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Her eyes did not meet mine as she spoke, but I could read the truth in her thoughts as plainly as if she'd spoken it aloud. A name, a thought, a memory hung between us, filling the empty air with his presence.

Suddenly, a deep, rumbling tremor shook the walls and floor, followed by the distinct sound of blaster fire as it ripped through some far corner of the palace, startling both of us out of our argument. In an instant I was between the Duchess and the doorway, my comm at my mouth. "Stone? What's going on?" There was no reply and I felt my stomach drop. Taking a deep breath I tried him again.

Nothing.

"I take it he would reply if he were able," she said, her voice quiet. Her guards and Odo, who had stood vigil at the door, had rushed inside and were gathered around her, standing at attention.

I nodded, my hand going to my waist for my saber-which was with Stonewall. _Wonderful. _"We must get you to safety," I said. "Any suggestions?"

Odo gestured to the door. "A secret passage was built centuries ago during the civil wars. If we can reach it, we can escape."

"There is a shelter just outside the city-but I must make sure that my people are unharmed," Satine said with a frown. "There are so many in the palace."

"There will be time for that," I replied. "Right now, my concern is your safety." After verifying that the guards knew the way we left the room, forming a tight formation around the Duchess as we hurried through the corridors towards the exit. Just as we entered the hallway that would lead us to the passage, I sensed a familiar presence-two actually. "Get down!" I shouted at Satine and her guards as I used the Force to leap over their heads and land in front of them just as the sound of blaster fire erupted from a corridor just ahead of us-the dining room. Odo and the guards pushed the Duchess to the ground, using their own bodies as shields while I called up my Force-shield, the ancient technique that I'd discovered several years ago that allowed me to deflect blaster fire for a limited amount of time. Without my lightsaber I felt naked, but I had the Force as my ally, so all was not lost.

Running forward, I turned the corner only to see Stonewall engaged in a skirmish with a soldier in Mandalorian armor. He saw me enter the room and tossed me my lightsaber, which I activated as I leaped for the soldier, pulling the brunt of his fire towards me. Though my fighting abilities were not as effective or as refined as most other Jedi, my shield gave me an advantage which I used to great effect, pushing the soldier back towards the main hall and forcing him to divide his attention between myself and Stonewall, who had come to stand beside me. Finally the soldier let out a growl of frustration and somersaulted away from us, landing behind an overturned table and tossing a gas grenade to the ground just before he activated his repulsors and shot through the high, stained-glass windows and into the night, leaving us coughing and watery-eyed in his wake.

"Are you alright?" I asked between gasps, noticing a slice on his left arm.

He nodded, still coughing too hard to respond. Moments later, Satine, Odo, and her guards entered the room, the Duchess surveying the destruction with the shock of one who has not been involved in such things very often. I realized then that I envied her. She approached us, after asking one of her guards to fetch some water. "Are either of you injured?"

"Stone has a little gash," I replied. "But otherwise, we're intact. Are _you_ okay?"

Nodding, she looked around, the shock still plain on her features. "I can't believe that someone would do this...in the palace, of all places."

"My lady," Odo said, urgency in his tone. "We must get you to safety. Who knows what will happen next?"

"I agree," I replied, after sipping the water that one of the guards had brought. "How far is the passage?"

Odo shook his head. "While you were engaging the...malcontent, I had one of the guards take a look. Someone destroyed the entrance-that must have been the explosion."

Stonewall had managed to regain his voice. "Affirmative, sir. I was passing by the library when I heard footsteps, like someone was running away. When I investigated, I was thrown back by the force of the explosion and got caught in the debris." He nodded to his arm. "Then I saw that armored fellow fleeing; he fired at me and I returned fire, though I wish I'd had all my gear."

"I don't sense anyone else right now," I added. "But there is obviously something going on. We need to find another way to that shelter."

Satine shook her head. "If the passage has been compromised, then it is likely that the shelter will not be safe, either." She sighed. "There may be another way..." Her eyes raised to meet mine. "If we leave the city and head east, there are an elaborate series of caves where we could seek shelter."

This was starting to sound far too familiar, but I couldn't see that we had many options. "Right. Do we have communications by any miracle?"

"Negative," Stone and Odo replied simultaneously. Odo glanced at the clone before he continued. "I think the emergency transmitter will still have power. It's located two floors down, in the vault-only myself, Thierry and the Duchess have the access code."

At the mention of Theirry's name, Satine paled. "Where is he? Has anyone seen him?" No one had, and I'm fairly certain that we all reached the same conclusion at that moment. She sighed, her shoulders slumping momentarily as she lowered her eyes briefly before looking back up at me. "What is your recommendation, Master Jedi?"

"Stonewall," I said, turning to my trooper. "I need you to get our packs. It looks like we're going to be on the run for a bit. Odo, I need someone to at least check the vault to see if we can send a transmission."

"But if Theirry's the traitor..."

"I know, but we don't have many other options right now," I replied as Stonewall rushed out of the room. _Please come back safely, _I thought.

The security chief nodded and looked at his men. "How many do we have left?" he asked the nearest guard, who shook his head.

"Not sure, sir. No one else has made an appearance."

"Odo," I said. "Take one of your men and go check out the vault. If you can, send a message to Coruscant and tell them what has happened here. Stonewall, the other guards and myself will see Satine to safety. You can rendezvous with us once you've contacted the Jedi Temple _and _any other authorities that you see fit," I added, catching the look in the Duchess' eyes at the mention of the Jedi.

"I would not leave your side, Duchess. I will send my men and come with you myself, if I may," Odo hesitated, looking at Satine. "I am sworn to protect you, my lady..."

"I know, but we must be confident in the abilities of this woman, as well as in your other men, Odo," she replied, her voice steady. "But do as you see fit. Let us not delay any further." Though he did not look pleased, he nodded and signaled to his men-handing one of them his key before watching them rush off.

As the guards left, Stonewall came rushing back into the room, our packs in tow, along with-to my great surprise-my now-battered dulcimer case. Satine looked at me before gesturing to another corridor ahead of us. "This way," she said.

We left.


	5. Chapter 5

It was more difficult than I'd realized to get out of the city, for it seemed that the members of Death Watch had agents all around us; every time we turned a corner or slipped down an alley we were met with blaster fire, which forced us to take alternate routes that seemed long and winding. It was harrowing and chaotic, but I found myself growing more and more impressed with Satine's handling of the situation-I knew that she was worried about her people, but luckily we didn't see any injured civilians. She was quite calm and level headed, though when one of her guards was shot down she faltered, only leaving his side at Odo's insistence. Stone and I did our best to keep her alive: he covered our rear while I used my shield to protect her while I deflected any blaster bolts that I could with my lightsaber, flashing brilliant yellow in the darkness. Finally we reached an alcove where we could pause to catch our breath and plan our next move.

"How much farther?" I asked, dropping my shield for a moment to allow myself to rest-it would do no good if I were to exhaust myself so early. My knee was starting to ache and I rubbed it while we sat on a stack of wooden pallets that had been left.

Satine hugged her arms to her sides and stared ahead of her, her expression guarded. "Not very. Perhaps another few kilometers, provided we are not forced to take any more detours." We exchanged a glance. "I fear that we are being herded, Kalinda."

Nodding, I took a moment to twist my hair into a knot to keep it out of my face. "I agree. The only question is: where to?"

"The shipyards are due east of here," Odo said. "We're definitely heading the right direction for that part of the city."

"We can't let ourselves be coerced any more," I replied, looking at Satine. "We have to confuse them somehow...throw them off our trail." We studied each other for several moments before a memory came to my mind, unbidden; despite myself, I smiled.

Satine's eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

"Obi-wan and I used to play practical jokes on each other all the time when we were Padawans," I mused.

"This is hardly the time for reminiscing..."

My smile widened. "One time...I think I was fourteen and he was fifteen, I switched all of his boots and clothes with smaller ones. He couldn't fit into anything-it took him several hours to straighten it out, especially since I convinced the quartermaster to go along with me and 'lose' all the garments in Ben's size. He was quite put out." I giggled. "Of course, he got me back...by convincing another student to dress as him and 'borrow' the datapad with my report on the Sith wars; I chased Garen around for hours before I realized what he'd done."

A faint smile had crept to her face at my words. "Very amusing. But you have a point, I hope?"

Nodding, I looked at her. "All we need is another Satine. There is a Force technique called a 'mind trick-'"

"I'm aware. I've seen Obi use it before."

_Obi? _"Yes, he is rather fond of it. Anyway, it works on the basic principle of confusing one's target to the point of distraction; if used in a certain way it can create an entirely different effect." I looked at her. "However, it will require the use of your fine robe and headdress, I'm afraid."

"Take them," she said, slipping out of her garments and handing them to me. I started to put the robe over my shoulders when Odo and Stonewall, who had been listening to our exchange with interest, exchanged looks.

"Kalinda," Stonewall said, just as Odo said "Duchess."

"You intend to dress as her?" Odo's face was incredulous. "With all due respect, Master Jedi...I'm not sure that you are a passable substitute."

The headdress was awkward and heavy, and I wondered how in the world she could tolerate the bedammed thing. "I realize that, but that is where the Force comes in. Now, the two of you will have to make sure-"

Odo shook his head. "It's a fool idea. You don't even look like a Mandalorian. I look more like her than you."

"Odo..." Her voice was a warning.

"Give me the robe," he said as he plucked the headdress from my head. "I shall distract them and meet you at the outskirts-provided your little trick works as well as you say."

Satine looked at him, her eyes wide. "You can't be serious! Kalinda..."

I had slipped off the robe and handed it to him, curious to see if was right; indeed, with his height and fair complexion, he looked more plausible than I would have, especially once I strengthened the illusion with the Force. "It won't be foolproof," I warned. "And you'd better stay out of direct light...but it should serve our purpose. Satine," I said, turning to her. "I don't think we have any other options."

Her face softened as she regarded Odo; she looked so different without the royal trappings, I could easily see the young girl that had captured Obi-wan's heart so long ago. "Odo...I can't let you do this."

He managed to look dignified, despite his ridiculous costume. "I would do much more for you, my lady. A bit of cross-dressing is a small price to pay for saving your life."

"Kalinda, someone's coming," Stonewall said quietly, urgency tinting his words.

Closing my eyes, I began to work with the Force, gathering it around Odo; it was not so much a matter of changing his appearance as it was convincing others who saw him that he _was_ Satine. Moments later I heard the Duchess gasp and Odo make a murmur of surprise. "Impressive."

Footsteps.

Stonewall crouched low, his blaster raised as he prepared to fire; I held up my hand and looked at Satine. "Ask who's there," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Make them think you are alone."

"Who is it?" She called out, her words tremulous.

"My lady Satine. What a coincidence, meeting you here." Theirry.

Satine narrowed her eyes. "Thierry? Oh, thank goodness! I'm so frightened...there's been an attack..." Her voice was pitched an octave or two higher, as if she were a child-or truly terrified-and I caught her eye and gave her a nod. She returned a faint smile.

"Come, my lady," Theirry said from the shadows. "I know where we will be safe."

"I'm so frightened, Theirry," Satine replied, her voice nearly a whimper. "Please, you must help me..."

I tested Odo's appearance; strong but not perfect, though it would have to do. "On three," I whispered, watching them watch me. "Odo, you make a run for it to the left-he should follow you, so we can go wherever he doesn't."

Odo looked at Satine, his face soft. "Be safe, my lady." To me, he said, "Take care of her, Jedi. She is more valuable than you know."

"You have my word, Odo." I held up my fingers..._one...two...three._

As if on fire, Odo sprung from our position and took off down the street, causing Theirry to call out to him as he followed, his armor glinting in the faint light cast by the streetlamps. "Duchess! Where are you going?"

Then there were three.

* * *

To this day I am not exactly sure how we made it out of the city; I can only say that the Force, (and a bit of luck), was with us during our desperate flight into what was left of Mandalore; what had once been lush forests and grasslands had been reduced to little more than a dune sea after centuries of warfare. We had a stroke of good luck when we reached the outskirts, as we found an unguarded transport abandoned in the middle of the road and were able to send out a coded message to Coruscant while we skimmed over the pale sands until though the damn thing sputtered out-naturally. It wasn't worth it to try and repair the ship, so we had to press on into the wilderness. After several hours of this, as dawn was starting to crest over the horizon, we stopped at an outcropping of boulders and I heard a strange noise coming from the Duchess.

She was laughing.

Stone and I exchanged bewildered glances before I put my hand on her arm. "Satine? Are you alright?"

"Yes," she said, a hand to her forehead. "I was just thinking...I have the most terrible luck when Jedi come to Mandalore. And you wonder why I fought the Council's request?"

At this I gave a chuckle. "You mean you don't often flee your home in terror to go traipsing around the wild while being pursued by insurgents? And here I thought this was business as usual." We looked at each other and dissolved into helpless mirth. Clearly, exhaustion was taking its toll.

Stonewall seemed at a loss. "I'm going to check our perimeter," he said, looking at me warily. "Will you be okay, Kali?" I had been favoring my knee, though I had tried not to make it obvious.

Wiping the tears from my eyes I nodded to him. "We'll manage. See if you can't find something edible, while you're at it. Thanks, Stone." As he darted off I shook my head. "Honestly. I'm the Jedi here...sometimes he acts as if I'm just a civilian."

Satine cast her eyes heavenward. "I think that all men want to believe that we women are helpless and frail, no matter how much we prove otherwise." She frowned. "I know that Obi does, sometimes."

At the mention of his name, the levity faded. "Perhaps," I said, my tone thoughtful. "But in my experience, he tends to operate under the belief that he is right and everyone else is just supposed to fall in line with what _he _thinks, man or woman." I looked at her. "What happened?"

"I would have thought that he told you."

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "He told me _his _version. I'd like to hear it from your perspective." She looked hesitant and I sighed. "If only to pass the time until my trooper returns with some unpleasant fungus for dinner."

Smiling, she nodded. "Very well, but I'd rather hear more about...about what happened...has happened, between the two of you." Her eyes were shadowed as she gazed at me. "He mentioned you quite a bit, you know. I was quite curious, I must admit."

"Then you are a better woman than me," I replied. "I was jealous. I was quite a child about it, really."

"We were much younger."

Nodding, I toyed with my ring, examining it closely while I gathered my thoughts. "What is there to say? Attachment is forbidden among the Jedi, but I have loved him from the moment we met, when we were young. I have spent countless hours trying to reconcile my feelings for him with my commitment to the Order..." I held out my hand to her, the silver glinting in the encroaching light. "He gave this to me after a mission." The memory made me smile. "We had to infiltrate a gang of thieves-undercover-acting as husband and wife. It was a...strange mission, culminating in us being robbed and left on a strange planet to rot. They even took our 'wedding rings,' which made me quite angry, for some reason." I slipped off the ring and handed it to her, watching as she studied it. "He got this for me just before we left the planet-I don't know how, as he had no money-and I've worn it more or less ever since."

"It's quite lovely," she said, handing it back to me, her face soft.

I thanked her and we sat in silence for a few minutes. "Satine," I said again. "What happened between you?"

She took a deep breath and folded her hands in her lap. "Very well. I loved him, too. More than I have ever loved anyone." My heart tightened at this but I nodded. "I have never stopped loving him, though I tried to ignore it, pretend it wasn't true...when he came to Mandalore, I was not prepared to...experience those feelings again." Her eyes took on a faraway look. "We were lovers, yes, but now that I look back on it, I realize that it was the product of two very young, very frightened people being thrown in a dangerous situation together." She smiled sadly. "I see now what I was not able to then. But there was more than that..." She glanced at me. "There was someone else. I could tell by the tone of his voice when he would speak of life at the Temple...and one day the name 'Kali' came up. He swore that it was not what I imagined, but he is adept at hiding the truth, isn't he?"

"It's one of the more annoying things about him," I replied.

"Quite," she said with a faint smile. "He never spoke of you, directly, but the seed was planted in my mind. When I heard your name, back on Coruscant..."

"I know," I nodded. "I figured it out. He only calls me 'Kalinda' when he's cross with me."

"And you called him...Ben?"

Again, memory overtook me. "Yes. It was his nickname when he was first brought to the Temple as a child-I think his family called him 'Ben.' He told me that day, and it has stuck ever since." An image of the blue-eyed, cautious boy that I'd met that day filled my mind and I was struck with an overwhelming sense of longing to be near him again. "I'm sorry," I said to her.

"For what?" She looked startled.

"I don't know," I said with a sigh. "I just...I didn't want to come here, to be around you and have to pretend that all of this-" my hands indicated the space between us, "-doesn't exist. I should have, but...I can't. I'm a Jedi, but I am also a human. Sometimes it is difficult to reconcile the two." I looked back at her. "Am I making any sense?"

She blew out a breath. "More than you know. I think it is not so different for me." Her head shook as she gazed at me wonderingly. "I didn't want to look at you, you know, once I learned who you were. But I'm glad, in a strange way...it feels good to talk about this. Clearing the air, I suppose."

We sat in silence for a few more minutes before I urged her to try and sleep, which she did after only a minor protest. For me, it was better to stand and try to stretch my legs, so I walked for a few meters around her, casting my awareness out for Stonewall. My comm had stopped working back at the palace-was it really only hours ago?-and I knew that his was broken as well, so I hoped to sense him with the Force. Satine stirred in her sleep, and I looked back at her. Like Obi-wan, she seemed so peaceful when she slept; in many ways they were well matched, though I was loathe to admit it. _She could do him some good, _I thought idly. _If things were different. _She had turned out to be much stronger than I had given her credit for; my thoughts turned to Odo, who had most likely lost his life to save hers.

_Take care of her, Jedi. She is more valuable than you know._


	6. Chapter 6

Stonewall did not reappear until well into the morning, when I was starting to go slightly mad with worry, though I tried to keep my concerns to myself. We were relatively safe-for the moment-so Satine and I spent some time foraging and trying to clean off the worst of the dust and debris while we waited for the clone to return. Finally, I began quietly plucking at my dulcimer to soothe my nerves more than anything else, singing softly in an effort to distract us from our increasingly dire situation.

A twig snapped. I was on my feet in an instant, lightsaber activated.

"Stonewall!"

Covered in dust and sand he stumbled into our makeshift campsite, saying my name once before collapsing to his knees. "I...they found me," he said, his voice hoarse. "So I tried to lead them away. I wasn't going to come back, but then I saw it." His eyes met mine. "A Republic cruiser. Reinforcements. Heading for the city. I wanted to contact them, but..." he held up his broken comm.

Satine and I exchanged glances, hope fluttering in my chest. "If they're here, they most likely brought a Jedi," I mused. "Which means they will be able to find us, soon." I reached out with the Force, but exhaustion had weakened me too much to feel anything beyond a vague inkling, and I stumbled to my knees.

"Kali?" Stone was beside me, his arm holding me up. "You're exhausted. We should wait for them to find us..." I tried to stand on my own, but my knee gave out, so he lowered me to the ground gently.

"And how will they do so?" Satine asked. "I dare not make our position any more visible if the Death Watch is still hunting us."

I felt dizzy and weak, but I tried to think straight. "Stone...do you have any of your armor?"

"No. I left it all at the palace when I had to put on this get-up...I mean, when I changed for dinner," he amended. "I have my belt, though."

Satine's eyes lit up. "Aren't all clone troopers equipped with a tracking beacon for emergencies like this? That is how you were able to be found during your last mission, was it not?" At the surprise in my glance she chuckled. "I confess, I did a bit of research once I learned your name, Kalinda. I read the account of your last mission to Basrah, and of the daring rescue by you, Stonewall."

Stone looked nonplussed, but checked his belt anyway. "It's here, but I think it got damaged earlier."

"Perhaps I can take a look," Satine said, extending her hand. "I used to be quite handy with devices like these when I was a girl."

"You are full of surprises," I replied with a laugh. She smiled as she worked over the small device, while I looked at Stonewall. "I suppose it's too much to hope that you found some food while you were lost in the wilderness?"

"I wasn't lost," he protested, though I could see him grinning. "Matter of fact, I did come across some kind of fruiting shrub..." He reached into his pack and pulled out something that Satine recognized as "sorchaberries," which were a bit tart but provided some welcome sustenance; following the sight of the Republic ship, the mood was considerably lighter than it had been since the mission had begun. After a few minutes I felt my eyelids growing heavy and I began to doze off, sitting up with a start when I realized what was happening. Stonewall crouched beside me. "You're exhausted, Kali. You need to rest. I'll keep an eye on things, don't worry." He placed a hand on my injured knee and regarded me; it was the first time that I could remember him touching me unbidden or to help me stand, though I was too tired to care.

"Stonewall is right," Satine added. "You've over-exerted yourself with all the Force tricks. We'll be fine for a little while." She held up the homing device. "It's nearly done, anyway."

I think I replied, but I don't really remember, as I passed out immediately after that. She had been correct about me, as the shield and mind-trick had sapped my energy reserves, so sleep was a welcome relief.

However, when I awoke, everything had changed.

* * *

"General Halcyon?"

My eyes opened to see a clone commander leaning over me, the blue markings on his armor indicating his status; indeed, something about him was familiar.

"Commander Cody?"

He nodded, stepping back as I sat up and got my bearings as a small contingent of clones stood around us, speaking amongst themselves while Satine stood beside me. There were several speeder bikes gathered around our perimeter. It was nearing evening already, the sinking sun tinting the sky saffron and crimson. Seeing my movement, Satine smiled at me. "Good, you're awake at last. We were growing concerned; you were practically unconscious."

"It happens sometimes, after using the Force so heavily," I replied. "Though you should have carried me out of here, or left me altogether, Cody."

"We caught Stonewall's beacon when we landed," Cody replied. "Though we didn't expect to find you and the Duchess here as well, General. Are you injured?"

"No, I'm fine," I replied. "But I'll be much better once we get out of here. Has there been any sign of Death Watch?"

Cody nodded. "Scanners picked up an anomaly-I sent a few boys to check it out. Stonewall said he remembered where some of them were from earlier and led them, though we had to give him some spare armor." I caught a hint of amusement in his tone and gave him a mild glare. "Anyway, now that you're up, we can get out of here." He raised his arm to his face. "General Kenobi?"

At this, Satine and I both grew very still and did not look at each other as Obi-wan's holographic image appeared before us. "Cody? Have you found Stonewall?"

"Affirmative, General. We came across the Duchess and General Halcyon as well-unharmed."

His hand crept to his beard as he nodded. "Excellent. The city seems safe enough for now. Return here at once-it is imperative that we get the Duchess to safety."

When Cody shut the hologram off, Satine and I exchanged a glance, and I wondered if all of our talk had been for nothing, in the end. However, as I was about to speak, the sounds of shouts and blaster fire pierced the air around us, immediately followed by Stonewall and several other troopers running back into the clearing as they fired at the Mandalorian warriors who had apparently ambushed them. Lightsaber ignited, I threw myself in front of Satine while Cody stood his ground behind her.

There were too many even for the brave soldiers of the Republic, and I could see that we were not going to win this battle. "Cody, get her out of here!" I shouted, parrying blaster fire while I tried to shield Satine. "Take the bikes and go-I'll hold them off while you escape."

"Kalinda, no!" She was shouting in my ear, though it sounded like a whisper in the chaos. "No, you can't..."

"Cody, that's an order," I called, ignoring the Duchess. "Get going!"

In response, Cody tossed a grenade in the center of the warrior's formation and we all ducked as the ground beyond us erupted with a boom and a spray of dirt; I could see that the Mandalorian warriors were not going to be held back much longer. Satine struggled to her feet and glared at me. "You can't do this...I won't let you." She grabbed my arm. "It will kill him if he loses you."

"I have a duty," I replied, trying to keep the sorrow from my voice. "As does he. Besides, I don't have any intention of dying. But just in case," I twisted the ring from my finger and pressed it into her palm. "Make sure that he gets this, please?"

"Duchess, we need to go!" Cody urged her.

She met my eyes, her head shaking slightly. "I..."

"Please, Satine," my voice was breaking. "Please, see that Obi-wan gets this."

Her shoulders slumped as she nodded, then turned to follow Cody to the speeder bike. Just before she boarded behind him she turned back. "Kalinda, of all the things that I thought would happen upon our meeting...I never expected to find a friend."

Despite myself, I smiled. "I know what you mean. Now go."

She went.

There was a familiar presence at my side. "Stone, you need to go too," I said. "I can hold them off, but if your brothers run into trouble, they'll need you alongside them."

The others had given him a helmet, greaves and gauntlets, though he still wore the tunic he'd had on from earlier. He looked down at me with an expression that I tried not to notice. "Kali..."

"Don't make me order you, soldier," I replied, turning my eyes away to the members of Death Watch who were starting to rise. "You must do your duty, or all that we've worked for will be in vain."

"As you wish, General," he said, his voice stiff, something that made me wince as he hurried to the transport.

And then there was one.

In retrospect, I'm not sure why I did it. At the time, it seemed like the only way, but with the gift of hindsight I see that it was rather foolhardy of me to order the others to leave while I remained to face what would most certainly be my end. In any case, I was prepared as I raised my lightsaber and focused on my shield, thankful that I'd been able to rest and regain some of my strength; I was able to deflect the fire of the warriors as they attempted to fire on the clones and Satine, eventually drawing them to me, which allowed my friends to escape at last.

I don't remember much of that fight, to be honest. I know that it felt like the minutes were stretched into hours, that time seemed to slow to a crawl as I ducked and parried and used the Force to push them back. But, stars and galaxies, there were more than I had realized and I soon realized that I was losing the battle-not unexpected, mind you, but certainly not a reality that I wanted to face at that moment. Too fatigued to be able to put much effort into my shield, I glanced around for an escape, noticing an opening in their defense that I thought I could slip through if I were fast and they were distracted. Gathering what strength I could, I used the Force to stir up the pale sand around our feet into a whirlwind; I only had enough energy to make it last a few moments, but that was all I needed.

Darting through them, I managed to hit the ground into a roll, springing up a moment later to start sprinting towards an outcropping of rocks. However, that was precisely the moment that my knee chose to give out entirely with a spike of searing pain lancing through me as my left foot made contact with the ground. I fell. The pain was disorienting, though I tried to work through it, tried to relax and welcome it as my body signaling me that something was wrong as I had been taught; it worked for a moment. However, as I struggled to my feet the Mandalorians came and surrounded me, one of them-the leader, I presumed, for his armor was more elaborate than the others-stepping close as he held out a metallic collar of some kind.

_That is not a good sign, _I thought as I tried to knock him back with my saber. But I was weak and unable to defend myself as my arms were held back and the collar closed around my neck. Nodding, the leader pressed a button on his arm which sent a current of electric shock through my body; though it was not like the containment field that I'd been held in on Basrah, it was bad enough, especially in my weakened state. I am ashamed to say that I stopped fighting them; exhaustion, pain, sorrow...these things took over my mind as I slumped in their arms and allowed myself to be carried off.

There was no way of knowing how much time had elapsed since I had been taken, but when I regained consciousness, I was bound and gagged in a fairly rudimentary prison cell, the collar still about my neck. My knee throbbed. It was impossible to stand as I was bound, so I lifted my head to try and see what I could from my position against the cool stone floor, which was the only pleasant thing about the situation. There were no windows and I could make out the dim outline of a door to my right; my awareness extended as far as I could, telling me that there were two guards beyond the doorway.

My head rested against the stone floor. _I'm such a fool, _I thought, closing my eyes. _What is wrong with me? Could I have done anything differently? _Casting my mind back over the previous day's events, I didn't think so. _It doesn't matter, anyway, _I thought. _I need to deal with the here and now, not dwell on what has passed. _But I was so tired, and it was nice, in a way, to just lie there and rest. Rather than fight the urge, I closed my eyes and focused on my knee, hoping to ease the throbbing pain; however, I was too weak to do much good, so I wound up just trying to sleep, trying to regain some of my energy.

It was then that I heard the most wonderful sound in the entire galaxy: the hiss of a lightsaber blade igniting, the quick tread of footsteps, and the surprised shouts as the Mandalorians were felled by a Jedi.

By Obi-wan.

My eyes opened and I struggled to twist myself to get a better view of the doorway as it opened, a light shining down upon me. And then Obi-wan was beside me, deft hands removing my bonds and the collar. "Kali?" His voice was hesitant.

It was difficult to speak but I managed. "Ben." My hand went to his face. "I missed you."

He gave me a smile, though I could see his eyes taking in my battered and bruised state; I could only imagine how awful I looked after the rigors of the past few days. "And I, you. Can you walk?" He glanced at my knee but I had no patience for anything but his eyes. The pain in my knee was forgotten.

"Yes," I replied with a grin. "Yes I can." Of course he had to help me, but slowly we made our way out of the bunker-a remnant of Mandalore's violent past, I realized-to the surface, where the clones were waiting along with Stonewall, who hurried over to us and offered me his arm, which I accepted. They had come with speeder bikes, so I was eased behind Obi-wan and we made our way back to Sundari, my head resting on his back, my arms around his waist.

* * *

The damage to the palace had not been as extensive as we'd thought, so Satine requested that we remain for a few days while I recuperated. I remember being taken to a room with a bed, then nothing. By the time I had woken up, I was ravenous and my mind was ablaze with questions that demanded answers. However, as I was still filthy from the mission, I took the time to bathe and change into some clothes that had been provided. When I emerged from the bath, Obi-wan was seated on my bed, studying something in his hands; he looked up at me, sorrow in his eyes.

"Why did you do it?"

I ran my fingers through my damp hair. "I didn't think there was any other way," I replied. "The clones couldn't have gotten away unless I held off the Mandalorians and Satine's life is too important to risk just to save one Jedi." Sitting next to him, I tried to smile. "What would you have done?"

He shook his head. "That's not what I meant." Something small and silver glinted in his hand. My ring. "Why did you give this to Satine? It's like you were...giving up." He studied me and I was startled to see something in his eyes that I had seen only once before, when Qui-gon died: despair.

My throat tightened. "Maybe I was. I don't know."

His hands sought mine; he slipped the ring back on my finger and kissed it gently. "Don't."

I didn't know what to say, so I kissed him.

Later, when we emerged from the room, he mentioned that Satine had wanted to speak with me. "I told the Council I would contact them once you were...awake," he said as we stood in the corridor outside the guest quarters. Several servants walked by, sweeping up debris. "I'll join you when I'm done."

"Tell Mace I said 'hi,'" I replied with a grin as we parted ways. On my way to the throne room I heard my name being called by a familiar voice. "Stone!" I said as the trooper approached me, dressed once more in his armor.

"Kalinda," he said, removing his helmet. "It's good to see you up and about." He looked pensive. "May I speak with you for a moment?"

"Certainly," I replied, keeping my tone neutral as we slipped into an alcove beneath a stained-glass window. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to apologize," he replied. "For my insubordination on our last mission. It was inexcusable. I've already given my report to Cody; he'll come up with a proper punishment."

_Not if I have anything to say about it,_ I thought as I regarded him. "You were concerned for my safety," I said. "Which, though commendable, is not wise." My expression softened. "I am a Jedi, Stone. My life will always be dangerous; even if we weren't in a war it would be that way. It's best not to get too...attached to me." I studied his eyes, hoping that he understood what I was trying to say.

He did; I could feel his emotions as clearly as if they were my own. _How did I miss that? _I thought as I watched him. After a moment he nodded, straightening his back and putting his helmet back on. "Of course, General. I suppose I'll go find the others and help with the repairs. General Kenobi's orders, until we leave." He saluted me once before turning to leave.

"There you are," Satine's voice startled me and I turned to her. "You look like you have much on your mind." She was wearing her traditional gown and headdress, though somehow she looked entirely different to me.

I smiled and approached her; we started to walk together to the throne room. "I was just wondering when life got so complicated."

She gave a small laugh. "I have often had the same thought. Who knew how drastically things would change in a matter of days?"

The sunlight filtered through the stained-glass windows of the expansive room as we walked through them, the patterns staining our clothes with variegated colors and patterns. "Sometimes, Satine, the most drastic changes only take a moment."

_The End_


End file.
